In modern day engine controls in a vehicle, high requirements are imposed on the safety and the driving comfort. This includes that the availability of assistance systems and comfort systems to the driver, such as windshield heating and climate control, should be as high as possible.
If the engine control determines during the driving operation that there is a power deficiency for operating ancillary equipment such as the climate control or a generator, then an increased idle rpm of the vehicle motor is requested which directly increases the rpm in the just then current operating state of the vehicle and therefore increases the output power of this ancillary equipment. An immediate increase of the idle rpm of the vehicle motor can, however, be surprising for the driver, for example, when the vehicle is just in an operating state with an engaged gear and a closed clutch and the rpm is increased by the idle controller. In this way, the vehicle speed would increase suddenly. Accordingly, the increased idle rpm, which is requested by the ancillary equipment, is only assumed as a desired value for the idle controller when the rpm of the vehicle engine is increased by the driver above the wanted increased idle rpm, for example, by actuating the accelerator pedal.
If the driver increases the rpm of the vehicle motor, for example, by actuating the accelerator pedal but does not reach the wanted increased idle rpm, then the motor control may not assume the rpm set by the driver via the accelerator pedal as the desired value for the idle controller and the rpm of the vehicle motor again settles to steady state at the then valid lower desired value when the driver has again pulled back the actuation of the accelerator pedal. In this way, the corresponding ancillary equipment cannot be supplied with the needed mechanical power.
The method of the invention and the arrangement of the invention for the control of an output quantity of a drive unit of a vehicle for at least a first operating state of the vehicle afford the advantage that a desired value for the output quantity is set to a target value in dependence upon at least a request of a motor-specific or vehicle-specific component. This target value is furthermore set in dependence upon that a driver command, which is pregiven at an operator-controlled element, reaches this target value in the first operating state or in a second operating state different from the first operating state and the desired value for the output quantity is likewise increased up to reaching the target value with an increase of the driver command pregiven at the operator-controlled element. In this way, the power deficit of a requesting motor-specific or vehicle-specific component can at least be reduced without affecting the driving comfort so that the requesting motor-specific or vehicle-specific component can nonetheless be supplied optimally with mechanical power while maintaining the driving comfort.
It is especially advantageous when the desired value is maintained with a dropping of the driver command pregiven at the operator-controlled element. In this way, the precondition for a successive reduction of the power deficit up to reaching the target value is achieved which, at any time, ensures the optimal supply of mechanical power for the requesting motor-specific or vehicle-specific component without a reduction of comfort. A once-reached power level without reduction of comfort can thereby be maintained until a higher power level is reached and assumed via a corresponding input of the driver at the operator-controlled element.